Leadership

Rob Robinson has been with Alliance since its inception in 2012, first serving as Chief Operating Officer before assuming his current position in 2014. Previously he acted as System of Care Administrator and then Deputy Director at The Durham Center, one of the merging partners in Alliance. He has nearly 25 years of both clinical and managerial experience in the public and private behavioral healthcare fields with a focus on program and system development.

Mr. Robinson serves on the boards of directors of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans and the Center for Integrative Health in Cary, NC. He has considerable experience in multiple facets of managed care operations and is considered a respected voice within the public behavioral healthcare system in North Carolina.

Cheala Garland Downey has headed Alliance’s Human Resources Department since 2016. In that role she has oversight of the organization’s benefits administration, classification and compensation, employee relations and talent management. Under her leadership, Human Resources serves a fundamental role in fulfilling the organizational goal to recruit, develop and retain a talented, diverse workforce. Ms. Garland Downey has over 20 years of progressive human resources experience within the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Kelly Goodfellow has served as Chief Financial Officer at Alliance since the company’s inception in 2012, and served in that capacity at The Durham Center (one of the merging partners in Alliance) beginning in 2004. She has responsibility for overall financial strategy and accountability at Alliance including oversight of corporate financial analysis, accounting, budgeting and claims. Ms. Goodfellow has nearly 20 years of healthcare experience focusing on Medicaid and the uninsured population.

Dr. Mehul Mankad joined Alliance as Chief Medical Officer in 2019. Prior to Alliance Dr. Mankad served as Chief of Psychiatry at the Durham VA Medical Center and as an Assistant Professor at the Duke University Department of Psychiatry. As CMO he directs Alliance clinical policy and its application across the company, leading a team of physicians, nurses and a pharmacist, reflecting the organization’s focus on its future as the manager of not just behavioral healthcare, but also physical healthcare and pharmacy services. He also oversees Alliance’s utilization management and care coordination functions, and brings from the VA Medical Center an empathy for veterans and a keen understanding of their unique behavioral healthcare needs.

He received his medical degree from Northwestern University and served his psychiatric residency at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Mankad is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the immediate past president of the North Carolina Psychiatric Association.

Monica Portugal has served as Chief Risk and Compliance Officer at Alliance since the company’s inception in 2012, and provided compliance leadership at The Durham Center (one of the merging partners in Alliance) beginning in 2007. Nationally certified in healthcare compliance, her responsibilities at Alliance also include oversight of program integrity, fraud and abuse investigations and internal audits. Ms. Portugal also has varied professional experience in policy/advocacy and regulatory compliance in child welcome and Medicaid systems.

Sean Schreiber served as Chief Clinical Officer at Alliance from the company’s inception in 2012 through 2016, and prior to that was Director of Service Management at The Durham Center (one of the merging partners in Alliance) beginning in 2009. Before returning to Alliance in his current role in 2018, he contracted with a nationwide managed care company overseeing projects related to network strategy, including assisting in the development of value based contracting strategies. Prior to joining Alliance originally, Mr. Schreiber worked as a Director of Development for a large behavioral health provider, responsible for expanding operations and starting new clinical programs.

Carol Wolff joined Alliance as General Counsel in 2014 and leads the Office of Legal Affairs, which comprises the in-house legal department, government affairs, and Medicaid contract waiver management. As a public entity, Alliance benefits from her nearly 20 years of experience with public government, healthcare and general in-house counsel work. Ms. Wolff has oversight of all aspects of the law impacting Alliance, including personnel, contracts, managed care, and state, federal and local funding contracts, as well as a Government Affairs team that guides strategy and legislative priorities for the organization.

Joey Dorsett has served as Chief Information Officer at Alliance since 2014, providing oversight of information business initiatives, enterprise reporting and analytics, application development and IT infrastructure and support. Prior to coming to Alliance he was Chief Information Officer for Kerr Drug, Inc. a regional drug chain formerly based in Raleigh, NC, where he was responsible for IT leadership in business operations, corporate administration, business application development, business intelligence design and implementation, and project management.

Angel Felton-Edwards joined Alliance as SVP Population Health & Care Management in 2021. In that role she is responsible for providing oversight and leadership of all prevention/population health and care management programs, including the oversight of care management provided by AMH+, State-funded case management providers and agencies. Prior to coming to Alliance, Ms. Felton-Edwards served in executive leadership roles at various large healthcare organizations and was responsible for clinical affordability, strategy, innovation, oversight of long-term care, home & community-based services, and general and special needs case management for over 300,000 lives. She is a Registered Nurse and also holds a Masters of Jurisprudence in Health Policy & Law from Seton Hall University of Law, and is known for her advocacy efforts for quality patient care and access to care for the most vulnerable populations.

Wes Knepper joined Alliance in 2014 and has led the Quality Management Department since 2017. In that role, he oversees Alliance’s comprehensive quality management strategy, internal and external data validation, appeals and grievances, reporting, accreditation, and quality improvement activities. Mr. Knepper holds both Master’s Degrees in Psychology and Health Care Administration as well as certifications in project management and process improvement. He has over 15 years of experience in public behavioral health and quality improvement in both payer and provider settings.

Since joining Alliance in 2012, Dr. Beth Melcher has served in a variety of clinical leadership roles. Prior to her current role as Senior Director for Clinical Innovation, she headed the Care Management Division, with oversight of clinical operations, utilization management, care coordination, provider network operations and community outreach. Her particular area of focus is population health, including care management, community health initiatives, and service development. Before Alliance she served first as Assistant Secretary for MH/DD/SA Services Development and later as Chief Deputy Secretary for Health Services at the NC Department of Health and Human Services. She has also held positions as President/CEO of Recovery Innovations NC, Clinical Director at The Durham Center (one of the merging partners in Alliance), and Executive Director of NAMI-NC.

Ann Oshel has led Alliance’s community engagement since the company’s inception in 2012, and currently heads up the Community Health and Well-Being department, which focuses on the social determinants of health, integration of physical and behavioral healthcare, and population health. In her role she has oversight for priority initiatives including community outreach, supportive housing, system of care, and community change. Prior to coming to Alliance Ms. Oshel was director of Durham County, NC’s nationally-recognized system of care, and also served in various clinical roles in the private sector.

Sara Pacholke has provided finance leadership at Alliance since the company’s inception in 2012, and prior to that at The Durham Center (one of the merging partners in Alliance) beginning in 2011. Her main areas of focus are budget and analysis, financial reporting, purchasing, and accounting. Before coming to Alliance she worked in public accounting overseeing tax and audit projects for a variety of clientele including not-for-profit organizations and construction, and light manufacturing/distributing businesses.

Brian Perkins joined Alliance in 2017 to oversee the company’s government relations program, which includes managing Alliance’s legislative agenda and related strategic planning initiatives. Previously he served as Director of Government Affairs and Legislative Counsel for the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, and on Capitol Hill from 2008-2015 as counsel and senior health policy advisor for a United States senator and members of Congress.

Tammy Thomas joined Alliance in 2015 and provided leadership in building and developing the Project Portfolio Management Office. With 20+ years of experience and education in project management, business operations, and healthcare, she is well-equipped to serve in her current role of Senior Vice President of Business Evolution. Her main area of focus is to lead Alliance in the evolution of business by directing the implementation efforts of large-scale cross-functional business changes and strategic priorities for organizational transformation, new business development, solution/program design, and strategic initiative implementation. Prior to joining Alliance, she held responsibilities in project management, portfolio management, analytics, and program evaluation with Blue Cross Blue Shield NC.